Windows Server 2016 End of Life is coming… but there is no need to fear!

[Willa]

With the joy a new product generation brings, we know it ultimately will mean saying goodbye to an older generation…  Earlier this year, we released HPE OEM Windows Server 2019 licensing, and now it is coming time to say goodbye to Windows Server 2016 OEM licensing from HPE...

You may have already heard the announcement that HPE OEM Windows Server 2016 End of Life (EOL) is coming soon… On September 30, 2019 HPE OEM Windows Server 2016 Essentials, Standard, and Datacenter editions will reach their end of life.

The HPE OEM part numbers for these products have been set with the following EOL dates:

EOL (End of Life)	DISCONTINUE	OBSOLETE
9/30/2019	10/31/2019	11/30/2019

This means that October 31, 2019 is the last day for HPE to ship any of these products. However, if units have been distributed from HPE to a partner (e.g. a distributor or reseller), the partner may continue selling the inventory they own.

So what are customers’ options after Windows Server 2016 End of Life?

One great option, is Windows Server 2019, the operating system that bridges on-premises and cloud. Windows Server 2019 includes many new and improved features that can help organizations of all sizes take advantage of hybrid cloud, increase IT efficiency, and benefit from improved security.

And, for organizations that are not yet ready for Windows Server 2019, we’ve got a solution for them too! HPE OEM Windows Server 2019 licenses come with downgrade rights. This means customers can purchase the Windows Server 2019 license and then downgrade it to Windows Server 2016 (so they can run Windows Server 2016 until they are ready to use Windows Server 2019).

Want to know more about downgrades? We’ve got the perfect video for you!

You can also learn more from our handy infographic